Fury
by LukeNLorelaifanatic
Summary: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Takes place after The Long Morrow. Just when she thought the worst had happened, Lorelai finds herself facing an even bigger, and devastating, surprise. What will happen when Lorelai, Luke, and Chris find themselves stuck in an interesting predicament? **Previously titled "Love Triangle"
1. Prologue

_"I slept with Christopher,"_

Those words kept repeating over and over inside his head. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe she had done this. He knew he had screwed up. He knew that he was the reason they were in the situation that they were in. That still did not give her a right to go and sleep with Christopher, the man who has now officially broken them up twice.

"_How? How could she do this? Why?"_ He thought as he drove aimlessly around.

Things were bad. He never thought they'd get this bad, but they had. He wanted to fix it, he tried to fix it, but it had all fallen apart.

Lorelai had not cheated on him. According to her, their breakup had been in the town square. This had not been clear to Luke and so it felt like she had cheated on him, even though she hadn't. They might have been broken up, but there was still a chance to fix it. Not anymore. Not now that she had slept with Christopher. There was no fixing it this time. The damage had been done.

_It seems as if everything's falling apart these days._

Tears stung at his eyes. Luke Danes was not a man who cried. There had only been two occasions where he had cried after the age of ten and those were the deaths of his mother and father. Nobody had died today. No, but today he lost his best friend and the woman he had loved for eleven years and that, to him, felt like a death.

He turned left onto the highway and headed for Maine. Liz and T.J. were back there now that the Renaissance Fair was in season. He needed to see his sister. He needed to seek advice and she was the only other female in his life he trusted other than Lorelai, who, today, proved that she wasn't as trustworthy as he thought she was.

...

Lorelai watched Luke drive off. The look, that look he had given her, right before he had left. She had never seen Luke look that way, ever. The image would not leave her head. It was burned into her brain.

She had never seen Luke cry, never in her life. In all the years she'd known him, she couldn't recall a single memory where Luke had looked the way he had just moments before, standing in front of her.

He hadn't cried. No tears had been shed. But she could see it in the way he had looked at her, all the pain etched into his somber face. And when those words left her mouth, the words she wished she'd never had to utter, it had been clear in his eyes all the thoughts and emotions he was feeling.

Lorelai could read Luke like a book. She'd known him so long that it was easy for her to tell his emotions apart. It pained her to see that she had caused him to feel this way. She hated herself for what she did. She regretted it more than anything and there wasn't a thing she could do to take it back.

Now, now things were all jumbled up together. Her life was currently one big jigsaw puzzle that needed its pieces put back together. The question was, could they put those pieces back in place this time? Or had things really gotten so bad that it was irreparable?

Sighing, she sat down on the porch step, burying her head in her hands and willing herself not to cry.

**A/N: **So, that was short, but I didn't want to have a long first chapter. I plan to definitely make the other chapters longer than this. Beware, there will be some L/C in this fic, but don't freak out about it.


	2. Starting Fresh

Luke pulled up in front of Liz and T.J.'s place. He walked up to the door and knocked. Liz opened the door, holding her slightly protruding stomach.

"Hey big bro, what brings you here?" She asked, flashing him a big smile.

"Hey Liz. Um, Kirk crashed Taylor's stupid thunderbird into my diner and I don't really have a place to stay because they are working on repairing it. I know that this is sudden and all, but it won't be for long. I promise." He said.

Liz looked curiously at Luke. "What about Lorelai's place? I thought you were living there?"

At the mention of Lorelai's name, a sad expression crossed Luke's face. Liz immediately noticed this in her brother. She knew something was up.

"Come on in." She said, holding the door open for him.

Luke walked in and Liz led him to the kitchen. She started a pot of tea and poured some into two cups, handing one to Luke and then sitting down at the table with hers.

"What happened?" She asked.

Luke sighed and sat down. "I screwed up, Liz."

"What? How?"

"I didn't let her in. I was too caught up in April to realize that I was pushing her away. And then... and then she comes over the other night. I hadn't been able to find her anywhere and then suddenly she just shows up. She gave me an ultimatum. She asked me to elope, said that she'd waited long enough. I told her I had April to consider and she said it was now or never and I said I couldn't do this now... She left."

"Oh, Luke, I'm sorry to hear about that. Did you try talking to her?" Liz asked.

Luke nodded. "I went by there today. I packed the truck up, told her I made reservations in Maryland. I told her I was ready, that I wanted to get married."

"Really? What did she say?" Liz cut in.

Luke sat there for a moment, silent, before speaking. "She told me it was over. It was over and... and she slept with Christopher."

"No!" Liz gasped and Luke nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know..." He said, sighing. "Liz, I don't know what to do. Lorelai... she's different than other women I've been with in the past. I've never thought about marriage, commitment, or kids until I started dating her. I never saw my future until she came along."

"She needs time, Luke. I'm not saying what she did wasn't wrong, because it was. But when you're in a relationship with a woman, you have to include her in your life, everything in your life, especially if you're getting married. Lorelai wanted to be apart of April's life. She needed to be included. If she wasn't, then where was the relationship going?"

"I know, I know. I was an idiot, I admit that. I just wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to be a father. I know that I want kids, I told Lorelai I did, but I wasn't expecting to one day wake up and find myself a father to a twelve year old girl. I wasn't prepared for that and it took me by surprise. I never meant to shut her out. I would never purposely do that to her. I needed time to adjust to it all. I know now that I messed up, but why did she have to go running to Chris? It seems like no matter what, he's always there."

"That's because he will always be there, Luke. He's Rory's father which means he'll always be apart of both Rory's and Lorelai's lives just like April and Anna will always be apart of yours. Has Lorelai ever made any indication that she did not like Anna being involved in your life?

"No, she hasn't,"

"Which means she accepts it, just like you need to accept Chris. Just because there is another man in her life doesn't mean that he's there to take your place. Now, I know I'm not the best person to be getting relationship advice from seeing as how my past relationships turned out, but look at me. I'm married to a wonderful guy and I have another kid along the way. Don't worry, you'll figure it out. Just give her some time. Let her think about this. In the meantime, you know you're always welcome here big brother." Liz said, reaching over and placing her hand on top of Luke's and smiling.

"Thanks, Liz." Luke said, standing up and pulling her into a hug.

"Anytime. Now, you go get your things and I'll get you settled into the guest room. T.J. should be home from the grocery store soon. He's making lasagna tonight."

"Ok, thanks again, Lizzie."

Liz just smiled and placed the cups into the sink.

…

That night, Lorelai was sitting in bed. The room felt empty. She felt alone. She hated feeling alone. She was used to Luke lying in bed with her at nights. She was still adjusting.

It was quiet. Too quiet. Lorelai hated quiet. Quiet was making her think, making her think about all of today's events. She didn't want to think about what happened today. She didn't want to think about Luke or the broken off engagement or April or Anna. She wanted to put that part of her life aside. She wanted to forget it.

Not being able to stand the silence any longer, she reached over to the nightstand and picked up the phone. She dialed a familiar number and listened to it ring.

_"Hello?"_ A voice on the other end asked.

"Hey, Chris. It's Lorelai."

_"Oh, hey, Lore. What's up?"_

Lorelai sighed. She hadn't really planned on what she was going to say. In fact, she hadn't exactly planned on calling Chris either. She thought for a minute and then found herself saying, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner?"

_"Dinner? But... I thought you said that..."_

"I know what I said." She cut in. "I... I think I want to give it a shot, give us a shot."

_"Really?"_

"Yeah. I do." She replied, not sounding completely convincing.

_"Alright, then. How about I pick you up tomorrow at seven?"_

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

_"Goodnight Lore."_

"Goodnight Chris." Lorelai said, hanging up the phone.

"_Did I really just do that?"_ She thought.

…

Chris looked at the phone for a minute, smiling, after he hung up.

_Wow... she's actually going to give me, give us, a chance. _

He couldn't believe this was actually happening. After the other night, he thought that he had finally started something with Lorelai, but when he called, she told him it meant nothing. Apparently it did, because she called back wanting to go out.

This was his chance. This was his chance to make things right, to finally be a family. Him, Lorelai, Rory, and Gigi. He definitely didn't plan on blowing it. No, things would be different this time.

**A/N: **Don't quit reading yet! Give the story a chance, you guys.


	3. The Difference

All day, Lorelai had been thinking about her date with Chris later that night. She hadn't yet told anyone about this new, possible relationship. She didn't know how tonight was going to go, so she wanted to keep things on the down low for now.

She did have some concerns on tonight. She wasn't a hundred percent sure she was doing the right thing. She took a leap, jumped the shark, without even considering the possibilities. That had been a mistake, but it was too late now to make changes.

Today was the beginning of her new life. Her life without Luke and with Chris. It pained her to think that Luke would no longer be in her life. She would no longer be able to go to the diner for coffee, food, or just to hang out. There would be no more banters, no more flirting, no more rants. Everything would be different from now on. She'd have to find a new place to eat at in the mornings.

_I guess it's back to Westons, _she sighed.

It was hard to imagine Luke not in her life. Even more, it was a little hard to imagine Chris _in_ her life, seeing as how he'd been absent for most of Rory's childhood. True, he'd come around in the past few months, but it was still new to her.

It was nearing four. It had been a pretty dull day and she had pretty much kept herself confined in her office. She didn't want to be exposed to the outside world. If she did, she'd get annoying remarks from Michel, and sympathy glances from Sookie. She couldn't take those right now. If she left her office, she would be forced to plaster on her perfected fake smile and make conversation with the guests. Lorelai didn't want to do that. She didn't want to pretend everything was all right with the world. To be truthful, she was confused about her life right now. She was in no mood for socializing.

Knowing she wasn't needed here anyways, she decided to take off early. After all, she'd spent the last hour playing solitaire on her computer. It was killing her to be locked up in her office alone with her thoughts. She shut down the computer, gathered her purse, tossed in her keys and walked out of her office.

"I'm taking off, Michel," she said as she walked out.

"Mhm, like always," he called rudely after her, flipping through the guest book.

When Lorelai got home, she took a relaxing, hot bubble bath. She read People magazine and enjoyed the peace and quiet. After a while, it began driving her crazy. She couldn't stand the silence. She needed noise, she needed to keep busy. She got out of the tub, put on her robe, and walked into her room. She turned on the radio and began picking up, a habit she had just recently began. Never before would you find Lorelai Gilmore cleaning on her own free will. Usually, it was because Emily and Richard were coming, she was having company, when she happened to be frustrated, or the little balls of dust under the couch became as big as softballs.

xox

Two hours later her house was unusually spotless and Lorelai started to get ready. She had blow dried her hair and was currently standing in front of her closet in her robe. She couldn't do it. She couldn't pick out an outfit. Each one that was date appropriate, she'd worn on dates with Luke.

She spotted the orange dress that she wore to the magazine cover party she'd taken Luke to. Then she saw the pink dress she'd worn on her back together date with Luke. Next were the tan shirt she'd worn on her first date with Luke and the red shirt she'd worn the night he made her dinner. The brown, flowery dress with the purple cardigan was next in line. She couldn't wear that, she'd worn that the night she'd proposed to Luke. And finally, there was the turquoise dress. That one was definitely out of the question. Just looking at it brought tears to her eyes.

_No! Don't you dare start crying! It's over, done with. Chris is now in your life. You shouldn't be crying over... over him. It's time to move on, _Lorelai thought as she swiped a hand across her eyes.

Yes, that last dress was absolutely not an option, for that was the exact dress she'd worn the night she ended her engagement with Luke.

She took out each of the dresses, including the two shirts, and laid them on her bed. She walked out to the hallway closet and grabbed an empty box out and took it back to her room. In a rush, she carelessly threw the dresses and shirts into the box and overlapped the flaps. Walking out of the room once more, she placed the box back inside the closet, shut the door, and made her way into her room. There had been Rory's Dean Box, and her Max Box in that closet. Never did she think there would someday be a Luke box.

She looked at the now very few choices of nice outfits she had left. The only other option that seemed suitable was the black dress she'd worn the night Max proposed to her.

She sighed. _I really need to go shopping._

She pulled it out anyway, laid it on her bed and looked at it for a while.

To her, it didn't seem to have much meaning. It wasn't as big a deal as it was with the dress she'd worn the night she proposed to Luke. Sure, she had cared for Max, but she had never loved him. It had been the first of two failed engagements.

Finally making up her mind, she untied her robed, shrugged it off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground. She picked up the dress and stepped into it. Then she headed to the bathroom and began working on her makeup.

xox

At 6:30, there was a knock on her door. She went downstairs and opened it, finding Chris standing on the other side.

"Hey, sorry I'm a little early. Traffic wasn't as bad as I expected it to be," he explained.

"Oh, it's no problem. I'm not quite done yet, but come on in and make yourself at home," she said, opening the door more to let him in.

_If I had told Luke to pick me up at seven, he would have come at seven-thirty. He understood my language, _she thought._ No! Shut up! Stop thinking about Luke!_

"Um, well, you can watch some TV while I finish getting ready. We have water and... water in the fridge," she said and Chris laughed.

"I'll be fine. Go, go. Finish getting ready," he said and she did exactly as told.

About ten minutes later, he knocked on her bedroom door.

"Are you decent?" he joked.

"Come on in," she called.

Chris opened the door and walked over to her. He smiled and held up a cup of coffee.

"I thought you might want some,"

Lorelai forced a smile and took the cup. She looked down at the contents. In all honesty, she hadn't had a cup of coffee since the night she gave the ultimatum. _He _should be the one handing her the coffee. It felt too wrong.

"It's not poisoned, I promise," Chris laughed.

Out of politeness, she took a sip of the coffee.

_It's not the same, _she thought. _Luke's tastes better._

_Stop it! Stop comparing Chris to Luke!_

"Thanks, Chris," she told him. "I think we can go now, I'm done here,"

"Are you sure? If you need more time, that's ok,"

"No, no, I'm ready," she told him. She didn't really care all that much on how she looked tonight. She didn't feel like impressing anyone.

"Ok, let's go then,"

xox

It didn't hit Lorelai until she and Chris were in his car on their way to the restaurant. She was on a date with Chris. She was on a date with Christopher Hayden, childhood companion, high school sweetheart, father of her only child. And, for the third time that night, Luke entered her thoughts.

She couldn't help but notice how very different Chris and Luke were to each other. If she had been on a date with Luke right now, they would be carrying on a comical banter, most likely about what was playing on the radio, or how some of the people in their town were lacking brain cells.

But, all was quiet in the car. Chris kept his eyes on the road, lost in concentration. Lorelai stared blankly out the passenger window. There was no comical banter, no laughs or rants. There just wasn't any conversation. That part of her life was gone. There was a nervous tension between the two that they were both trying to ignore.

Lorelai thought she was going to go insane when, finally, they arrived at the restaurant. It was a nice little Italian place. They both got out of the car and walked in together side by side. No holding hands like she and Luke always did. Their sides didn't brush. Both Lorelai and Christopher kept their eyes on the door, placing one foot in front of the other.

After waiting up front for a few minutes, they were seated at a booth near the entrance and given menus.

"So, what are you going to get?" Chris asked her, finally breaking the silence about five minutes later, after the waiter had taken their drink order.

"Um," she said, browsing through her menu. "I think I might get the chicken fettuccini alfredo. What about you?"

"I'm thinking the risotto milanese," he said.

The waiter came back with their drinks.

"Are you two ready to order?" he asked, whipping out his notepad from the front waistband of his black slacks and pulling the pen out from behind his ear.

Lorelai couldn't help but notice. That was exactly what Luke did at the diner. She tore her gaze away from the waiter. He actually looked like him.

"Yes, I'm going to have the risotto milanese," Chris told him.

"And you?" the waiter asked, turning towards Lorelai.

Once Lorelai had given him her order and the waiter left, silence fell between the couple once more.

"How's Rory been?" Chris asked.

"She's good. She's a little down now that Logan's a continent away, but she's getting along fine,"

"That's good. I haven't heard from her in a while. She usually calls me at least once a week,"

"Huh, well, she's probably busy," Lorelai lied. She knew why Rory hadn't called Chris. She as still angry because of what Lorelai and Chris did. It might take a while for her to cool down.

"Yeah, I bet she is. God, she grew up so fast. I can't believe I missed it. Gigi's growing up fast, too,"

"How is she?"

"She's great! She's so excited about starting school this fall. I've buying her those Leap Frog games for her. She loves them,"

"When Rory was little, I bought her tons of Hooked on Phonics books,"

"When we were kids, we had to learn the hard way," he chuckled.

"My dad used to write down mathematical problems on a notepad and make me work them out. I hated it,"

"Remember when he used to quiz us whenever I had dinner at your house?"

"All the time! He'd give us the most difficult questions possible and then grill us if we got the answer wrong," she said, laughing a bit at the memory. Things were starting to look up. Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad.

xox

Chris and Lorelai were in the middle of eating their dinner. The night was flying by. Lorelai actually started having a good time. They talked, remembered, laughed, and joked around.

"Remember that time Emily bought that hideous grandfather clock that would chime annoyingly every half hour?" Chris asked her.

"Yes! That damn thing was so annoying. We got in so much trouble for breaking it. Kind of reminds me of the time Lu-" she started, but stopped. She had just been about to tell the story of the time her and Luke broke the church bells.

Chris coughed lightly and took a drink of water, then took another bite of his risotto. Lorelai was overtaken by a wave of sadness and guilt. Why did she bring Luke up? She couldn't help it. She was just so used to spending a lot of time with Luke, or talking about Luke, or thinking about Luke. She really had loved him.

An uncomfortable silence settled as they both concentrated on their dinner. Chris knew that she wasn't over Luke. He knew that she had been thinking a lot about him tonight. He knew Lorelai too well. It was obvious she missed him and still loved him. He wanted to try, he really did. He wanted to make him and Lorelai work. He wanted it so bad, he didn't care that she was still hung up on Luke.

The rest of the dinner was spent eating. Chris paid the bill and they headed back to the car. Once in the driver's seat, Chris turned the radio on. "Shadow Dancer" started playing and Chris laughed lightly and turned to face Lorelai.

"I remember when you went through a phase when all you would listen to was this song," he told her.

"Yeah, it was my favorite," Lorelai said, giving him a small smile.

Chris turned the volume up and pulled out of the parking lot, driving back to Lorelai's house.

xox

Once at Lorelai's house, Chris got out of the car and opened the door for Lorelai.

"Thanks," she said, smiling and walking with him to the porch.

"Tonight was fun," Chris said.

"Yeah, it was,"

"We should do it again," he stated, stuffing his hands in his pockets and rocking nervously back and forth on his feet.

"Sure,"

"How about next week? Saturday night?"

"Sounds good," she said, nodding and smiling.

"Goodnight, Lor," he said, smiling and leaning over.

For a second, Lorelai thought he was going to kiss her and she panicked. She didn't know why, it wasn't as if they've never kissed before and they did sleep together just a few days ago. But to her suprise, and relief, he just kissed her on the cheek. He walked down the steps and turned to look at her, waving goodbye, and then got into his car and drove off.

Lorelai unlocked her door and walked inside. She went upstairs to change into her pajamas. When she walked into her room, she saw the almost full coffee mug from earlier sitting on her nightstand. Sighing, she picked it up and walked back downstairs and into the kitchen. She dumped the contents of the mug into the sink and then made her way towards the coffee maker. She emptied out the coffee pot, grabbed the coffee maker and put it under the sink.

She wouldn't be drinking much coffee anymore, anyways.

-----

**A/N:** I know, I know. You all want to kill me right now. Please have faith in me. If you don't, then read my pen name. That should give you a clue. I'd like to think Danielle for betaing. Thank you, Danielle, for your help!


	4. Baby Blues

Luke awoke the next morning, rubbing his eyes and taking in his surroundings. He momentarily forgot where he was, but then remembered that he was at his sisters house. He got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom where he began to get ready for the day.

After showering, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed, he walked out of the room that he'd confined himself in most of the previous night. For the past two days he hadn't been very chatty. He mostly stayed inside his room, thinking to himself. He had talked to April on the phone briefly, but he didn't let slip why he was staying with Liz. He heard Liz and T.J. talking in the kitchen as he walked in. Both looked up upon his presence and Liz smiled.

"Morning big bro. Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"I slept ok," he said, shrugging.

"Luke, Luke, Luke," T.J. said, getting up and walking over to him, clapping him on the back. "How do you feel about helping me with a little something today, huh? It'll be fun. We can have a, a brother bonding. What do you say?"

Inwardly, Luke rolled his eyes, but instead he just asked, "What is it you need help with?"

"Well, you see, I went out and bought junior here a crib yesterday," he said, walking over to Liz and rubbing her stomach, wearing a proud expression on his face. "Only problem is, I can't figure out a damn thing that the instructions are telling me. You like to fix things, though right? You're always building things and stuff. I bet you could do it, can't you?"

"Sure, T.J. I'll help you build the crib," Luke said, sighing.

"Ah, I knew you'd come around," T.J. said, walking over to him again and clapping him one last time on the back before walking towards the refrigerator. He opened it and pulled out a beer, popping open the cap and taking a swig. "You want one?" he offered.

"No, thanks. I'm good,"

"Are you hungry, Luke? T.J. made plenty of breakfast," Liz said, getting up to get him a plate.

"No, it's ok Liz. I'm fine, really," he assured her.

"Oh come on. You can't skip breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day. I should know, the doctor has me on a strict diet for baby here," she said, smiling and patting her stomach.

Luke sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this one. He reluctantly sat down as Liz placed a plate in front of his face. He smiled for her benefit and picked up his fork and took a bite of his eggs. He really wasn't in the mood to eat. He hadn't eaten much in the past few days due to the excessive amounts of stress put on him. But if it would get Liz off his back, he would eat. Plus, he'd learned from Liz's first pregnancy not to refuse a woman who couldn't control her hormones.

xox

Lorelai was in her office, doing some paper work when her cell phone started to ring. She dug through her purse and pulled it out, flipping it open and pressing talk.

"Hello?" she asked.

_"Hey mom. You busy?"_ Rory asked on the other end.

"Oh, hey kiddo. No, I'm not doing much at the moment. What's up?"

_"Well we never got to talk last night. How'd your... date go?"_ Rory asked her, pausing before adding the last bit. She loved her dad and at one point in her childhood, she had wished that her mother and father would get together, but things were different this time. Rory loved Luke. He had been the only father figure she had growing up. He didn't deserve this, no matter what the circumstances were. She was angry at her dad, and she had a good reason. One which she planned on confronting him on.

"It went well," Lorelai stated. "He picked me up, we went out to eat, and he dropped me off and went home."

Rory was slightly puzzled at her mother's lack of detail. Normally she'd start from the beginning and leave nothing out. She couldn't help but think that something might've happened.

_"Well that was very informative,"_ she replied sarcastically.

"We had a good time. We talked, laughed, joked," she said, trying to give her a little more. To be honest, there wasn't much to tell. "He was sweet."

Lorelai heard Rory sigh on the other end. There was a moments pause before she spoke up.

_"Mom, are you sure this is what you want? I mean... you and Luke,"_ she said cautiously, knowing that saying Luke's name had struck a nerve in her mother. _"You guys just called it quits. Maybe you're jumping in this a bit too soon. Give yourself some time. You haven't even wallowed. You skipped a very important step in the moving on process."_

Lorelai hung her head, staring at the stack of papers on the desk and tapping her pen lightly as she took in what Rory said. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about right now. She didn't want to think logically and she knew that Rory would make her do that. Right now she just wanted to bury herself in her work and keep her mind occupied on other things, something she'd become quite accustomed to over the past few days.

"Hon, I don't want you to worry about this right now. I'm fine, honestly. I don't need to wall-" she started but was cut in by Rory.

_"Don't. That's exactly what I said when Dean and I first broke up. I told you countless times that I was ok, I even convinced myself I was, but we both knew the truth. I knew deep down that I wasn't, even if I wasn't able to accept it. Mom, this is big. This is **Luke**. You've known him for years. He's always been around and now, all of a sudden, he's not. And this thing with dad... you just jumped into it without even giving it a second thought. I don't want to see you get your heart broken again."_

"Rory, my heart isn't going to-" and again, Rory interjected.

_"Come on, mom. This is dad we're talking about. He's always come and gone whenever he pleases. I love him, but are you sure this is the right thing to be doing? What if he leaves again?"_ she sighed. _"I know he's been around a lot more these past few months, but take some time to think about that. What does that tell you? He's been absent almost my whole life and now that I don't need him, he suddenly appears by my side, wanting to do whatever he can as if I'm two._

_"And then look at Luke and all he's done for me. He's always been there whenever I needed him. He's been the only real father figure I've had while growing up. He didn't use me like some swinging door. He stayed on one side, and that was my side...on our side."_

"That's not true, Rory. He's paying for Yale, isn't he? Without him, you might not be in that school still," Lorelai defended Chris, ignoring Rory's last statements about Luke. She wished everyone would just leave her alone. She was sick and tired of Luke being brought up in front of her. How did they expect her to move on if all they ever did was talk about Luke?

Then again, Rory had pointed out some rather important facts. Whether she wanted to acknowledge them or not, they were true. Chris had used Rory- had used her- as a swinging door all these years. He never could pick one side to stay on and that was why Lorelai hadn't married him when they were younger. He was simply too immature. And then you had Luke who had done so much for them. He had cheered Rory up at times that even Lorelai couldn't. He had done a lot for her, for the both of them.

That brought on another issue. April. Just as Luke had been there for Rory, Lorelai wanted to be there for April. She didn't care if April did have both parents in her life, she still wanted to be there for the girl. She wanted April to have a friend she could talk to about anything, things that sometimes you just didn't feel comfortable talking to your parents with. She wanted to build up a relationship with her, just like she had let Luke build a relationship with Rory.

True, in the beginning when Lorelai and Luke had only known each other for a short while she had been timid on letting Rory get too attached to him. She didn't want him to be like every other man in her life and just walk out, leaving them both stranded. She wanted to protect her daughter.

_Well maybe that's exactly what Luke is doing,_ she began to think and then quickly shook it off. _No, because that would signify that he was afraid I would walk out of his life and leave him and April stranded. But then maybe I've got this all backwards... maybe it's Anna who is afraid of this. Maybe Luke knew this and that is why he kept April from me._

Lorelai groaned inwardly. This was all beginning to be too much for her. She was starting to make sense to herself, starting to clear up a few questions that had been floating through her mind the past couple of months. She didn't want that. She didn't want things to become so clear and visible when the damage had already been done. It was too late.

_"If he wasn't paying, then grandma and grandpa would still be paying."_

Lorelai sighed, pausing to rub her temple with her free hand.

"Rory, sweetie, I'm a big girl now. I don't need to be looked after. I love that you're concerned about me, but I've got it under control, ok? I know I've made a few mistakes, but I'm not perfect. I'm only human. Look, you have more important things to worry about than my relationship status. You've got school, the paper, Logan... just quit focusing on my issues and give your attention to the more important things."

_"Mom, you are important to me. If you get hurt, I get hurt. I just want you to think about this before you decide to commit, ok?"_

"I will, kid. I promise," she said, hoping that if she reassured Rory, then this headache of a conversation would end.

_"Alright,"_ Rory said, a little more satisfied with the answer. _"Well I don't want to keep you. I'll let you go. Bye mom. I love you."_

"I love you too, angel. Bye," and with that, Lorelai hung up her phone, tossing it back in her purse before leaning her elbows on the tabletop and burying her head in her hands, letting out an exhausted sigh.

xox

"... and the next minute, she's on the floor crying her eyes out like there's no tomorrow. Pregnant women," T.J. said, shaking his head. "They're very sensitive. A little scary at times."

Luke sighed, nodding as T.J. rambled. He was sitting on the floor, sorting through the various pieces of the crib, trying to find the one he was looking for. As soon as he found it, he took the nail that was currently wedged between his teeth and put it into place, picking up the hammer and pounded it into the plywood.

When T.J. had asked Luke to help him, apparently that was his language for, "You build and I'll tell you about all the hell I've been going through lately." So as Luke assembled the crib, he listened to T.J. go on about Liz's mood swings, morning sickness, and raging hormones. He would occasionally nod his head every now and then, but all the while he was lost in his own thoughts.

With each piece Luke put together, he couldn't help but think what it would be like had he been building this crib for his own child. Luke had never been very kid friendly, but he had always been very fond of Rory. And when April came along, he found that fatherhood was one of the best things he'd experienced in life. It was something unlike anything he'd felt before when it came to kids. Here he had this little girl who looked up to him and depended on him for everything. Sure, both he and April were still adjusting to each other, but she meant the world to him. He never thought he'd feel that way about a child other than Rory before.

Before April had come along, he thought of kids as a hassle. Another mouth to feed, having to worry about somebody else's bodily functions, have to constantly keep an eye on them so as to make sure they wouldn't get hurt or in trouble. And then she appeared out of the blue and he had to adapt to fatherhood. It wasn't a choice; he needed to support her, feed her, watch out for her. It actually hadn't been all that hard to get used to. It was almost like instinct. He didn't even have to think about it, he just did everything a decent parent would do for their daughter. He was there for her. He was there for her in the way that he had always been there for Rory. If she needed him, he would drop whatever it was he was doing and go right to her aide.

It upset him that he hadn't been able to watch April grow up. He wished he could have been there to raise her, support her, to do everything a parent was supposed to do for their child. He had missed out and there was nothing he could do about it but make up for lost time.

This is where his thoughts took a turn. He recalled the night Lorelai had proposed to him, how he had brought up the subject of kids. He remembered the nervousness he felt as he rambled on about it, how unsure he was of what Lorelai would think of it all. Then the words left her mouth. _"Kids would be nice."_ He remembered breathing a sigh of relief as she had said that. It's like a balloon in his chest had released all the air inside it. He had been hoping more than anything for that kind of reaction.

He had never thought about kids, much less a future, with anyone else until Lorelai had come into his life. He never could picture himself married and starting a family. Then Lorelai happened and it was like a door had suddenly opened. He could see it; he could see himself committing to her, having children with her, spending the rest of his life with her. He saw a future with her.

He shook his head and a lump formed in his throat as another memory came back to him. That night four years ago when Lorelai had shown up at the diner, looking for a place to crash because her house had been taken over by the Poe Society. He could remember it all clearly, her lying in bed telling him of the dream she had, had a few months back. She had dreamt that the two of them had been married and were expecting twins.

He remembered the shock he felt as she confessed all of this. He was surprised to find that Lorelai would be dreaming of them in such a way. A way that expressed them as exactly what he wanted them to be, more than friends. He had felt slightly uncomfortable as she went on explaining her dream. For one, he was with Nicole. Secondly, she was making him think things that he should not be thinking. He was suddenly envisioning it all, him and Lorelai together and a baby on the way. He wanted more than anything to just shake the thoughts away, knowing that she hadn't thought of him in that way. Or at least so he thought.

By now, Luke had completely blocked out anything T.J. was saying, fully focused on finishing his job and completely wrapped up in his thoughts. As his work began to resemble more of a crib as opposed to just a few pieces of wood nailed together, he started to think of what it would be like for him and Lorelai if they were expecting a baby.

He would do everything he could to be there for her through it all. He wouldn't be like Christopher. He would be there to hold her hair back as she got sick, he'd make whatever she was craving, no matter how absurd it was. If she wanted grilled chicken with peanut butter, he'd make it for her. He'd rub her aching, swollen feet at the end of the day to alleviate her stress. He'd hand make every piece of furniture for the nursery and paint it whatever color she wanted it to be, even purple, if that was what she wanted. If she had a mood swing and took it out on him, he'd let her do it and tell her he loved her despite whatever harsh words she threw in his face. He'd tell her how beautiful she looked when she complained about how fat she looked and rub her stomach at night, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and even talk to the baby.

He sighed, thinking about it all. He'd do anything and everything for her. He'd be the best father he could be, just like he tried to be the best father for April. He really, truly wanted that. He wanted that whole package, and with Lorelai, only Lorelai. And with a pang of sadness in his chest, he was reminded that he wouldn't live to see the day where that package began.

-----

**A/N: **I want to apologize for the delay. I've had a horrible case of writers block that I have just overcome. There have been many occasions when I would sit down in front of my computer, staring at a blank page on word pad or I would sit at school with my hand hovering over a blank sheet of notebook paper. I would write the beginning, get completely stuck, and toss the idea out the window. I was never happy with what I had this chapter. I think I did a much better job than the other stuff I had written in place of this chapter.

I'm really sorry about all of this. I'll try and update a lot sooner this time. I would also like to thank my beta, Danielle. She is so patient and helpful. This story wouldn't be what it is without her. She really helped me when I got stuck. Thank you so much, Danielle! This chapter is dedicated to you.


	5. In All Honesty

Rory sighed as she heard the other end of the line go dead. She stared at the phone for a second before she pressed the 'end call' button. Leaning back into the couch, she thought about her conversation with her mother. It hadn't gone quite as planned. She had tried getting her mother to reason with her, but there was just no getting through that stubborn side of hers.

She wanted Lorelai to be happy If Christopher truly made her happy, then she had nothing against her parent's relationship. The problem was, though, that she knew in her heart that her father could never make her mother _truly_ happy. There had only ever been one man in her life who had, and that was Luke. Of all the men that her mother had dated, Luke had been the one that her mom had ever been really serious about. Lorelai had always been afraid of crossing the line between friendship and lovers when it came to her and Luke because of their well established friendship they'd built up over the years. Rory knew that her mom wouldn't have taken the leap if she thought it would jeopardize their friendship.

Needless to say, she was concerned for her mom. They grew up together, Lorelai and Rory. When Lorelai's heart was broken, so was Rory's. She didn't want her dad to hurt hermother yet again as he'd done all throughout her childhood. Lorelai was already in a confusing state right now, she didn't need this new sudden relationship in her life.

A pang of frustration and a dose of anger washed over her as the thoughts in her head took a turn to her father and his role in the whole conflict. She needed to clear a few things with him, so she picked up her cell phone and car keys and walked out of her apartment. Descending the stairs, she walked her way to the parking lot and got into her car. Putting the key in the ignition, she started it up and drove off.

The drive seemed to fly by as her thoughts seemed to carry her unconsciously to her destination. Once she arrived outside her dad's apartment complex, she parked the car and got out and headed to the building with the giant 'B' on it. She walked up the stairway and up to door number 219 and knocked. After a few seconds, the door opened and Christopher appeared in front of her.

"Hey kid. What brings you all the way out here?" he asked, a bit surprised to see her.

"We need to talk," she stated simply.

"Ok," he said, a little uncertain as he opened the door wider to allow her to walk through and then followed her into the living room. "What's up?"

"You and mom. As if she weren't distracted enough already, you had to jump in and take the wheel," Rory said, crossing her arms.

"Honey, I'm a bit dazed here. Can you please clear the fog?" Christopher asked, looking at her, confusion written all over his face.

"Come on, dad. Mom had _just_ ended things with Luke. She went to you upset, just looking for a shoulder to lean on, not someone to jump in bed with."

"Rory, I..." Chris started but was having difficulty coming up with something to say.

"She was confused, hurt, and vulnerable. She wasn't in any condition to be doing anything like that. You practically took advantage of her! Why couldn't you just be there for her? Why did you have to sleep with her? Why does it always have to be about you and mom? Why can't it just be about mom for a change? Focus on something other than the relationship status between you two and actually _be_ there for her," she said in a pleading tone. Her expression was a mix of emotions. She saw Chris's face fall as he rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Ror, it's complicated," was all he said.

"How complicated can it be? She was upset and she went to you for comfort. Is that how you comfort every woman in your presence who is upset? You sleep with them to make them feel better?It didn't work, dad! She's more hurt and more confused than she was in the first place."

"Hey," came his harsh tone. "This is a two way situation here, kiddo. She didn't exactly stop me."

"Of course she didn't! You honestly believe she'd be thinking straight after ending her relationship with a man she's be in love with for years?!"

"Oh please," Chris said, rolling his eyes. "The jerk had it coming."

"Luke is not a jerk," she said sharply. "He was put in a complicated situation that he didn't know how to control. He's human, he made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. He loved mom and she loved him too. Things just got twisted. They didn't need you to screw it up even more."

"_I_ did not screw up," he said angrily. "She didn't end an engagement with me, did she?"

"Well considering she turned down both of your marriage proposals, I'd say not."

At those last words, silence fell between the two. Chris' face changed from anger to hurt. Rory looked down at her shoes and then looked back up, speaking in a softer yet still uptight tone.

"You pushed her. She's been through enough this year, you very well know that. She's not ready for something like this. The breakup is still so new and fresh, this is more than she can take."

"If she didn't want to jump, she very well didn't have to. She said she didn't, and then she changed her mind."

"Then that clearly states she's not ready! She can't even make up her mind. This isn't right."

"What isn't right? Her or our relationship?" he asked, looking her straight in the eye.

Rory paused for a minute and sighed. It was a simple question, yet the answer was not as easy to give. There was more complexity to it, a hidden meaning behind it. She knew what they were talking about; it wasn't Lorelai and Christopher, but her mother and Luke.

"Both," she said quietly.

Chris let out a disbelieving laugh and shook his head. He buried his face in his hands and kept them that way for a minute before he took them off and looked at his daughter.

"He took you from me."

"What?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"Luke. He's taken my place. _I'm_ you father, damn it!"

"What are you talking about?! How did this jump from you and mom to mom and Luke and now to Luke and me?"

"I can't believe this. You're my _daughter_. You should want this for us. We never got to be a family and now we can and you're telling me that you want your mother with that... that _diner_ guy."

"Stop it! Stop putting Luke down just to make yourself feel better. So _what_ if he owns a diner? It's more than you can say. How many businesses of yours have gone down the drain? Luke has always been there, _always_. He was there for me when you weren't and he was there for mom too."

"Oh yeah? And where has he been the last five months? Certainly not there for your mom."

"He's only human, dad! He makes mistakes like any other person in the world. Luke isn't good with managing multiple things. He had his engagement to mom and a commitment toApril at the same time. It was too much for him."

"So that completely excuses the fact that he hurt your mother?"

"That's not what I'm saying! Both mom and Luke have their faults. Neither was very good with dealing with relationships. You and mom are a perfect example for that statement, as well as Luke and Nicole."

"Nicole?"

"Luke's ex-wife," she said quickly, dismissing the matter and moving on. "Look, it's none of your business what the flaws in their relationship were. This is something they have to work out with each other.**--**

"And why can't your mom and I work out _our_ problems?"

"Where have you been the last twenty-one years, Dad? Surely not working out your problems with mom. You were never there and during the times that you were, you simply jumped. You came back after not seeing us for months and asked mom to marry you."

"And I don't recall you having a problem with that then."

"I was _sixteen_. I still had the pretty painted image of us as a family engraved in my head. I _wanted_ it to happen, but there's a difference between want and will. You weren't ready then, you aren't ready now. After all the failed attempts at a relationship, you guys just have to learn to let go. All you have is history and if I weren't here, that's all it would be. History. You wouldn't be stuck in this situation."

"Rory, don't bla-" Chris began but Rory shook her head and interrupted.

"No, I'm not blaming myself. I have never once even thought of blaming myself for being here. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that where would you be if I had not been born?"

"That doesn't matter because you _are _here."

"Answer the question, dad."

Chris sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know. Probably an alumni from some Ivy League school and with a steady career."

"And if I had not been born, do you think you and mom would have lasted?"

"Yes."

"Why? You were sixteen, caught in the moment of young love. It doesn't happen that way. This isn't the movies."

"What makes you so sure that we wouldn't have lasted?"

"Because, dad, I've heard the stories. You were two miserable teenagers just looking for a way out. It seemed that that only way out was with each other, but sooner or later you would have come to realization that it wasn't. And mom would have, too. Think about it, Dad. Mom was a single parent raising me all by herself practically my whole life. She wanted you to be involved. She wanted to be a family so that I would have what the other kids had at my age. She just wanted you _there_. She wanted the support she didn't have."

Chris sunk into the couch, burying his head into his hands and shaking it ever so slightly. He didn't understand why his daughter was so against him. She should be on his side. She should be supportive of him and his relationship with Lorelai. He sighed and looked up at her.

"I'm going to try. I am going to do everything I can to make this work because this is what I want, and with or without your support, I am going to make this happen, your mom and I."

Rory looked at him, her jaw set and her expression hard.

"Fine," she whispered. "But it's not what mom wants and sooner or later you'll come to see that too."

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.


	6. Call Screening

**A/N: **So, LONG time, huh? I doubt anyone who read this back when I began writing this will read it now. However, for those who might be new readers, are you guys in for a surprise! I had originally stopped writing this story because I got busy with life, but also because I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with this. Anyway, I started writing a story yesterday and every time I finished the first chapter I just kept feeling like something wasn't right. I kept doubting my storyline. And then I remembered this story and it fit my idea perfectly! Anyway, it might take a few more chapters before I get to the point of the story but don't quit on me yet. Keep reading, have faith, and let me reel you in.

**Title to be renamed!

* * *

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

Lorelai looked at the upper right hand corner of her desk where her phone vibrated around in circles. She looked at the caller I.D. and groaned inwardly, closing her eyes. This was the sixth time Christopher had called today. She had ignored all of his calls the previous day and still wasn't ready to face him. As soon as the vibrating stopped she shut off her phone and threw it into her purse.

Looking around her office at the stacks of unprocessed paperwork, she concluded that she wouldn't be getting any work done today and opted to head home instead. Picking up her purse she walked out of her office and past the lobby.

"Leaving early again I see." Michel remarked, not looking up from his magazine he was reading.

"Not in the mood, Michel." She retorted.

"Hmm," the Frenchman sighed. "If only I could leave early on days I was not in the mood. Oh wait, that is every day."

Lorelai ignored him and walked out the Dragonfly's door and to her jeep. She knew she couldn't keep bailing on work like she had been the last couple of days. I was unlike her to leave so much undone, even in her current situation. Usually when she had been going through a difficult time, she would bury herself in her work rather than walk away from it. However, between breaking off her engagement with Luke, sleeping with Christopher, and now ignoring Christopher's incessant phone calls, she had developed a persisting migraine that, no matter how many Excedrin she took, would not cease.

Upon arriving home she collapsed on her couch and pulled her phone of out her purse. She reluctantly turned it on and cringed when she saw yet another voicemail from Chris. She flipped open her phone and pressed it to her ear as Chris's voice played through the speaker.

"_Hey Lore, it's Chris. So, uh, I've been trying to call you these past two days. I guess you're busy with the Inn or something. I was just wondering if you still wanted to go out sometime this week. Just give me a call and let me know. I'll be here, so… yeah. Bye."_

She clicked her phone shut and sat it beside her on the inn table. She knew that she should call him. She couldn't avoid Chris forever.

After the end of Lorelai's date with Christopher she hadn't experienced those typical post-first-date feelings. She didn't wear a stupid grin on her face, she didn't have the urge to call him right after so that she could hear his voice, and more than anything she hadn't experienced that giddy feeling one gets after going on a really good date. There was no spark.

"_Why had I agreed on a second date?" _She'd wondered the morning after.

So after a few days had passed and Lorelai hadn't contacted him, Chris began to call.

Reluctant to face Christopher just yet, she instead decided to take a nap. Hopefully it would help the nagging pounding inside her head. It was as if the pain were vibrating through her head and into her eyes and ears. She swore she could hear a high-pitched ringing following her around all day long.

Stretching her body out on the couch she pulled the blanket resting on the top cushion down and covered herself. Closing her eyes, Lorelai shut the world from her thoughts and focused on the sounds of her breathing as she fell asleep.

…

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

Lorelai jolted awake at the sound of her phone, once again, vibrating.

"Christopher, I swear to God." She muttered viciously as she grabbed the phone off of the inn table and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked rudely.

"_Mom?" _Rory asked on the other end.

"Oh, hey kid. Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"_Is now a bad time?"_

"No, no. Is everything ok?" Lorelai asked, sitting up and pulling the blanket closer around her.

"_I feel like I should be asking you the same thing." _Rory stated.

"I'm fine, Rory, I promise. It's just been a headache of a day, literally. What's up?" Lorelai asked, eager to get the subject off of her.

"_I was just calling to check up on you. Ya know, see how you're doing."_

"I'm fine, hon. You don't have to worry about me, ya know? I'm a big girl. This isn't the first time Luke and I have broken up."

"_Yeah, but it's the first time you and Luke have broken off an engagement."_

Lorelai stayed quiet. She wasn't sure what to say. She had been doing a fairly good job at pretending that everything was all right. Sure, she had been moody and somewhat distant as she tried to shut out the prying noses that belonged to the townspeople, but she wasn't acting at all the way she had the first time her and Luke broke up. However, her daughter knew her better than anybody. No matter how hard she tried, she could never convince Rory that things were just peachy when she knew her almost better than Lorelai knew herself.

"_Mom," _Rory continued after she failed to respond. _"Listen, I think I'm going to come home for a few days. I haven't seen you in a while and I don't think you should be alone right now." _

"Rory, you don't have to do that. I know you're concerned and I love you for that, but I will be ok."

Inside, however, Lorelai was somewhat relieved at her daughters offer. While she put on a brave face in front of the town, Sookie, and at work, it was getting exhausting. When she was alone in the comfort of her own home, she let her guard down and sulked around the house day and night.

"_I'm coming over. Tomorrow night after finish up a few things for the paper. I've got a few days off-"_

"Rory…" Lorelai began but was interrupted.

"_No. No matter what you tell me I know you, Mom. I also know that right now you need me. I'm coming over tomorrow and that's that."_

"Thank you." Lorelai whispered as a small smile played on her lips.


	7. A Good Day

**A/N: **I'm currently in the process of editing the entire story. The title will be changing shortly and I've already made some adjustments to Chapters 1&2. Be patient with me. When I started this story I wasn't sure what direction I was going in, I just started writing. Now that I know what I'm doing with it I need to make some edits. The good part comes soon and I have the next five chapters written! Read&Review please! :)

* * *

Lorelai tip-toed into her kitchen and pulled the coffee maker out of the cabinet she had placed it in a week ago. She had really been kidding herself when she thought she could go without coffee. Although nobody's coffee tasted as good as Luke's, her caffeine addiction would settle for even the cheap, chalky tasting coffee they would sometimes offer you at banks or car dealerships.

She placed it on top of the counter and plugged it in. In her still sleepy state, moving like a zombie, she walked to the other side of the kitchen for the coffee and ran into the corner of the kitchen table.

"Ow!' Lorelai yelled out, mentally cursing the table.

"Mom?" A sleepy looking Rory called out a few seconds later, walking out of her room and rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, Rory, I'm sorry. I was trying so hard not to wake you but the table- it just jumped right in front of me on my way to get the coffee. Go back to bed, it's early."

"What time is it?" Rory asked her mother.

"Eight-thirty." Lorelai replied as she poured coffee into the filter, popping it into the coffee maker and turning it on.

Rory had returned home the previous evening. She and Lorelai had briefly talked about what had happened between her and Luke and then about her current situation with Christopher. Rory had left out the fact that she had confronted Christopher recently. Her mother had enough on her mind at the moment and if Rory told her the things she had said to her dad, it would only upset her more.

The whole time her mother had talked, Rory could hear the pain in her voice, but never once did her mother shed a tear. Rory had tried to get as much information out of her but Lorelai would only give her the basics. Rory could see through her though, Lorelai was an equal amount of stubborn and pride, trying to stay strong even at her weakest point.

After the talk, they had ordered Chinese and stayed up late watching old movies and catching up. It had been almost three in the morning before they had headed off to bed.

"What in the world are you doing up so early?" Rory asked, rather baffled that her mother would ever willingly be up at this hour.

"Oh, well, I've just been having trouble sleeping lately. You know, work has been crazy and all." Lorelai lied.

"Uh huh." Rory replied, knowing very well that work was not what was getting in the way of her mothers precious sleep. "Well, what's for breakfast?"

"Hon, go back to bed. I know that you're dead tired. You don't have to stay up just for me." Lorelai said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"I think waffles sound good!" Rory replied, walking over to the freezer in search of some frozen waffles. To her disappointment, the freezer was empty, as was the refrigerator. "There's no food here."

"I've been meaning to go to Doose's, I just haven't had the time." Lorelai said, handing her daughter a steaming cup of coffee, which she sipped graciously.

"Have you been eating?" Rory asked her mother. That's when she noticed for the first time that her mom looked a bit thinner and pale.

"I've been eating plenty, hon, I promise." Lorelai again lied to her daughter.

Rory eyed her, not believing her mothers lies. It was so unlike her mother to not eat or sleep. She sat her coffee cup on top of the counter and walked to her mother, pushing her towards the stairs.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"We're going to Weston's. Go on, get dressed."

"But-" Lorelai started, but Rory interrupted her.

"No buts. We'll starve if we stay here. You've got ten minutes, go!"

…

An hour later, Lorelai and Rory were sitting at Weston's with cleaned plates and empty coffee mugs.

"Those were amazing! What were they called again?" Lorelai questioned her daughter.

"Crepes, mom. I cannot believe you've never had them before. You never tried them when we went to Europe?" Rory laughed.

"Eh, the food was weird out there. I didn't want to take my chances." Lorelai said, leaning back in her chair.

"So you won't eat crepes in France, where the originated from, but you'll eat them here in the States?" Rory asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's safe to eat them here! The evil, stinky Frenchmen might have poisoned the crepes in France."

"I'm sure Michel would love to hear that." Rory laughed.

"Hey, he left the country because he hated the Frenchmen, which means he didn't trust them, so neither should we." Lorelai scoffed as Rory continued to giggle at her mother. "So, what should we do today? I have some work to get done at the Inn but I could do it tomorrow."

"No, don't call off work for me. I was going to run by and visit Lane. She and Zach just got back from their honeymoon so I'm going to snoop for details. We'll meet up later and throw a party." Rory smiled at her mother.

"Ok, kid. Tell Lane I said hello, I guess I'm going to head off." Lorelai got out of her seat and leaned down to kiss her daughter on the cheek.

"I will. Love you, mom." Rory smiled as they went there separate ways from Weston's.

…

Lorelai was in the middle of finishing up the last of the paperwork that had earlier been amounting to a rather large pile on top of her desk. The last two and a half hours had been frustrating and she was happy to be near the end of the small pile of papers in front of her.

With Rory back home, Lorelai's mood seemed somewhat improved. It had been too lonely and quiet back at the house. Sometimes she wished she could go could back to the days when Rory still lived at home. Nothing brightened her day more than when she got to see her daughters face first thing in the morning.

Today was a good day. Her daughter was home, she had almost finished her work, and for the first time in while she seemed to have gained her appetite back. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. Yes, it was a good day.

She smiled as she finished working out the last of the budget for next month. She tapped her pen on the desk as she stared down at the papers in front of her, thinking. She then heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." She called out, still staring down at the paperwork.

"Hey," A familiar voice called from the doorway.

Lorelai looked up and her smile she had worn seconds before drooped.

"Chris."

Well, today _had _been a good day.


	8. A Bitter Goodbye

**A/N: **The past few chapters, this one included, have been rather short and I apologize. I could go on and on with detail, but I chose to get straight to the point so that I can move forward with the story. As much as I love a good and long detailed chapter, I will not bore you with repetitiveness that would be my writing if I chose to go that route. Keep reading because the good part is about to come.

* * *

"Chris, what are you doing here?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm doing just fine, thanks, and you?" Chris laughed, giving Lorelai his infamous smirk that, when they were kids, had made her swoon.

Lorelai just stared at Chris, not really sure of how she should feel about his unannounced visit. After a few seconds of silence, Chris' smile faded and he shoved his hands into his pockets while he rocked back and forth on his heels.

"You never returned my calls, Lore. I-I thought our date went well. We talked, we laughed, and we reminisced. Now you won't answer my phone calls and you don't look very happy to see me."

Lorelai looked down at her desk, rubbing her temples and thinking of what to say. Honestly, it wasn't all that surprising that Chris had showed up unexpectedly. She could recall several times where he had appeared out of nowhere, always seeming to stir up drama. There was the time he asked her to marry him, the time he showed up for Sookie's wedding, and her all time favorite: the time he showed up at her parents vow renewals to break up her and Luke. She took a deep breath and then looked up at him.

"Chris… I've just got so much on my mind right now," She started before she was interrupted by Chris.

"Then talk to me. You know I am always here for you, Lorelai. If you have something on your mind let me know. Just let me in." He said, walking over to her desk and placing a hand on her arm.

Lorelai shook her head and brushed his hand away from her.

"Chris, stop. Please, don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Make what harder?" He asked, stepping back from her and frowning.

"I just broke up with Luke. We were _engaged_. Sleeping with you… it was a mistake. I was upset and lonely and angry and I used you. I'm a terrible person. I needed comfort and now I've hurt you and I've hurt Luke. I thought giving us a shot would… well I don't know what I thought exactly, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Don't get me wrong, it was a great date and I will always love you, Christopher. I just don't see myself ever loving you in that way. I need some time right now, time to think and move on with my life." The words had spilled from Lorelai's mouth before she really knew what she was saying. Everything she had said was true. She had used Chris to make herself feel better, to feel needed. All that had come from it was three broken hearts and one very confused Lorelai.

Chris nodded, looking down at his feet and then back up at her. There was no denying, after looking at his face, that she had hurt him. He stood in silence for a moment before he softly spoke. "I could give you everything you have ever wanted. All I have wanted since I was sixteen was to be with you, to be married to you and to have a family with you. I was a dumb kid and I made a lot of mistakes and I know I wasn't there for you or for Rory. I'm late in the game here but I'm ready for us to work, to _really_ work, but… but I will never be good enough for you."

Lorelai stared at him remorsefully, her mouth hanging slightly open and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Chris…"

Chris looked at her longingly, his face shadowed with sorrow.

"Goodbye Lorelai." Chris shoved his hands deep into his pockets, turned on his heel and walked out of the door.

Lorelai sat in her chair, shoulders hunched, staring after him for a good while. Her breathing became labored and she soon found herself crying. Her shoulders shook as she reached up to her face and brushed the tears from her cheeks. Only she, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, could hurt two people she loved so much, so badly in such a short amount of time.


	9. Mystery Bag Monday

It had been five weeks since Lorelai had called off her engagement with Luke, four weeks since she had gone out with Christopher, three weeks since Christopher had showed up at her work, two weeks since Rory had left to return to her and Logan's apartment to see him off to London, and one week since Luke had returned to Stars Hollow after Taylor's car crashed into his diner. Overall, it had been five weeks of pure and unadulterated hell.

Lorelai had yet to run into Luke. He had been in town for a few days now but she had strategically avoided running into him. If she needed to go to the store, she went to the one right outside of town. She took the back roads to work and spent most of her time sitting at home so she didn't have the off chance of seeing Luke around town.

Lorelai hated having to avoid him because deep down all she wanted to do was see him. The last time she saw him he had his truck bed packed full of camping gear, fully prepared to travel the east coast with Lorelai on what he had planned to be their honeymoon. That is, until Lorelai confessed to sleeping with Christopher and broke his heart. Every time she thought about it, it felt like someone had punched her right in her gut.

She had wondered what she would have done had she not slept with Chris. Would she have said yes and eloped with Luke? Would they have been married by now and enjoying a nice honeymoon at some small resort that she would have booked for them instead of traipsing around in the woods sweating and itching because of the damned poison ivy she would have been sure to have encountered? Or would she have still said no and be sitting on the couch eating ice cream and watching _The Way We Were_ while feeling sorry for herself as she related to the plot of the story, which is what she was currently doing.

Two people who were in love but were so very different from each other that it just couldn't seem to work out. For the first time in a very long time Lorelai found herself wondering if her mother was right. The thought alone made her shudder. Were her and Luke's worlds so different from each other that, no matter the love they shared for one another, they could never be?

It all had to do with who they were, who their families were, and the fact that no matter how hard they tried to keep their past lives from interfering with their relationship they always seemed to collide with one another. Her family would never be fully accepting of Luke. He was raised in a much smaller world than Lorelai's, a small world called Stars Hollow. He was diner owner who had dropped out of college and all of a sudden had a daughter he had never known about. Lorelai was raised in a wealthy family who had plenty of connections and knew many important people. She had grown up with the finest education, and although she had gotten pregnant young, she had still managed to get her degree, raise an amazing daughter, and run a successful business. Her parents would never see Luke for what he truly was: a genuine, caring, and successful man who had been there for her and Rory through every rough patch they had gone through in the past eleven years.

Then there was Chris, whom she had known since she was six, whom she had fallen in love with and then had a baby with at sixteen. He would always be in her life because of Rory and Lorelai would never do anything to intentionally change that. He was her daughter's father and even with Rory being in her early twenties, she still needed him in her life. Chris would always be the guy her parents would secretly hope she would end up with.

Lastly you had April and Anna. Just like Rory and Christopher would always be apart of her life, April and Anna would always be apart of Luke's life. They were his family now. Lorelai had always understood this and wanted desperately to be apart of their lives too, but just as Chris would never be happy to have Luke around, Anna would never quite accept Lorelai. She was, after all, the other woman, the woman whom Anna knew nothing about, and the woman who was hanging around the daughter that she was so desperately trying to protect. Lorelai would have felt the exact same way had the roles been reversed.

She and Luke were two different people who would never quite see eye to eye, two different people who were always being torn apart by someone or something.

Tired of thinking about Luke and disgusted with herself for even seeing a flicker of her mother's side of things, Lorelai picked up the phone and ordered take-out from Al's Pancake World. It was Mystery Bag Monday and since Lorelai wasn't craving anything in particular, she opted to take a chance with the surprise. Thirty minutes later she was now watching Willy Wonka and eating the contents of her mystery bag: sushi. While it did taste a little odd, it wasn't entirely bad either. Feeling rather sleepy, she stretched out on the couch, covered herself in a blanket and dozed off.

Around ten o'clock, roughly four hours after falling asleep, Lorelai woke up with the worst stomach ache she'd had in quite a while.

"Ugh, damn Mystery Bag Monday. I am always seduced by your esoteric appeal and regret it in the end." She moaned.

Lorelai stumbled up the stairs and into the medicine cabinet in her bathroom. To her disappointment she had run out of stomach medicine. Groaning, she put on her tennis shoes, grabbed her keys, and headed for the door. It was too late to drive anywhere and Doose's was only five minutes away. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed towards the town square.

…

Lorelai browsed the aisles of Doose's until she found what she was looking for. She picked up two products: Pepto-Bismol and Stomach-Aide, the latter of the two being the off brand store version. In reading the back of both bottles, Lorelai could not tell the difference between the two. She could hear Rory's voice inside her head telling her she would regret going for the off brand version, but she was somehow able to push it out of her mind and decided to go with Stomach-Aide anyway. After all, it was on sale.

She carried her medicine, along with a 20 ounce bottle of ginger ale, to the checkout line and paid for her items. She grabbed the bag from the smiling young bag boy and headed out of the market. She wasn't even five steps out of Doose's when she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was…" Lorelai instantly fell silent when she saw who it was that she had bumped into.

She wasn't sure if it was nerves, her stomach ache, or a combination of both but she proceeded to bend over and throw up all over the ground.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked urgently, putting one hand on her back and using the other to pull her hair out of her face.

After a few more seconds of hurling, Lorelai wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up.

"I am so sorry, Luke. I just got puke all over your shoes." She didn't know what to say. She was feeling rather embarrassed. First she bumps into him after having not seen him in over a month, and then when she finally does see him, she pukes all over him.

"Don't worry about it. Are you sick or something?" Luke helped her steady herself before he let go of her.

Looking at him, Lorelai could tell he was worried about her, but could see that he wasn't sure how to react to the situation.

"I just have food poisoning. I'll be fine." She told him, crossing her arms and looking down at the ground.

"What did you eat?" He questioned her.

"Sushi."

"From where?"

"Al's." She knew the minute she said it, she was in for a lecture.

"You ate sushi from Al's? What were you thinking? It's bad enough having food poisoning but you got food poisoning eating fish from Al's? Maybe you should go to the doctor, you don't look well. You're pale and you've got a weird, greenish tint to your skin." Luke ranted.

"Gee, thanks." Lorelai said, tucking her hair behind her ear and shifting her weight onto her other foot.

"I didn't mean…" Luke started and fell silent.

"I know you didn't. Look, I'm fine. I bought some medicine and I've got some ginger ale." She told him, holding up the bag that was in her hand.

"What kind of medicine?" He asked as he squinted his eyes at her.

"Stomach-Aide." She mumbled.

"You bought the off brand version? That won't do you any good. What, was it on sale?"

She could hear the frustration in Luke's voice. He knew her too well. It was so like him to get worked up over something so small.

"Luke, I'll be fine, I promise. I just need some rest. It will pass in a day or two." She said, her voice pleading him to stop interrogating her.

"Ok…" He said quietly, still wearing the same concerned expression.

After standing in awkward silence for a few seconds, both not knowing what to say, Luke still surprised at Lorelai's sudden sickness and Lorelai horrified that she had just thrown up all over her ex-fiancé, she spoke up.

"I should go." She said, gesturing to her vomit-covered clothes. "Sorry about…" She carried on, pointing to his shoes.

"Don't worry about it." He said, shaking his head.

With that, Lorelai nodded her head and walked off into the direction of home.


	10. Blegh!

**A/N:** So I am seeing that several people are reading the story but I am not getting very many reviews. I enjoy writing for fun, but I would like some feedback from you guys. Tell me what you think, give me suggestions. I would like to hear what ya'll would like to see happen. I have a plan, but who knows. If someone had a good idea, I might add it in.

* * *

Lorelai returned home completely humiliated and still very much surprised at her encounter with Luke. She knew she risked seeing him by going to Doose's, but it was pretty late for Luke to still be up, let alone going to the store. She had been sure she was in the clear.

Collapsing on the couch she picked up her phone and dialed Rory's number.

"_Hey mom, what's up?" _Came her daughter's voice through the speaker.

"I have never been so embarrassed in my life." She moaned into the phone.

"_Why? What did you do?"_

"I threw up all over Luke."

"_Wait, you what? You saw Luke? And you threw up on him? Why did you throw up? What's wrong? What were you doing with Luke?" _Rory interrogated her mother.

"I have food poisoning and it sucks." Lorelai said, moaning more for dramatic effect.

"_Ah, Mystery Bag Monday_." Rory concluded. _"What were the contents?"_

"Sushi." Lorelai replied meekly.

"_What?" _Rory gasped. _"And you were dumb enough to actually eat it? Well in that case, I do not feel sorry for you at all." _

"Evil child!" Lorelai cried out before holding her stomach and whimpering as it churned nastily.

"_So what happened with Luke?" _Rory pried.

Lorelai sighed. "I was leaving Doose's after I bought some ginger ale and stomach medicine and I bumped into him. When I realized who I had bumped into, I got so nervous and my stomach was hurting so bad that I just threw up all over the place, on me, on his shoes, on the ground. It was so embarrassing."

"_Yuck! Was he completely grossed out?"_

"No. He was more shocked than anything. He held my hair and rubbed my back until I was done."

"_Aw, he's so sweet." _Rory cooed. _"So, did you guys talk?"_

"Did you not hear the part about me throwing up all over him? Do you think I was going to stick around for a little pow-wow after that? No. He lectured me about eating at Al's, about how I should go to the doctor, and then about the brand of stomach medicine I bought…"

"_You bought the off brand, didn't you?" _Rory interrupted.

"I swear! Are you two forming some kind of alliance or something? You guys shouldn't be teaming up against me, I'm sick." Lorelai argued.

"_Sorry, I'm with Luke on this one. So what else?"_

"Nothing. We stood there awkwardly and then I said I had to go and took off." Lorelai played with the hem of her blanket as she spoke.

"_Well, you were bound to run into him eventually. Hopefully next time you won't cover him in vomit. So, are you ok?"_

"Yeah, I'm fine… I'm gonna go, kid. I'm about to pull another exorcist." Lorelai said, clutching her stomach.

"_Gross! Feel better, mom. I love you." _

"Uh huh, you too." Lorelai mumbled and then dropped the phone on the floor as she ran to the bathroom just in time to empty the contents of her stomach. When she finished she laid her head on the cool tile of the bathroom floor and moaned, "I'm never eating Al's again."

…

The next morning Lorelai awoke still curled up next to the toilet. Her neck was stiff and her back ached. She felt horrible. She used the toilet seat to pull herself up and limped to her phone. She dialed the Inn's number and after a few rings, someone finally answered.

"_Dragonfly Inn, this is Michel speaking, how may I help you?" _Said the Frenchman's bored, thick and heavy accent.

"Michel, it's me. Look, I'm going to need you to cover for me today, I've got food poisoning." She managed to say as a wave of nausea overcame her.

"_You never do listen to me when I tell you that greasy diner food you always eat is full of pesticides and E-Coli." _Michel snarled.

"Michel." The agitation was evident in her voice.

"_Fine, I'll cover for you, but I demand a raise!" _Michel spat.

"Uh huh, whatever. Bye."

Lorelai hung up the phone and crawled to her bed. The softness of her mattress and the cool feeling of her sheets instantly made her feel better. She buried herself beneath the covers and fell asleep.

Two hours later she was awoken by a crash coming from downstairs. Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed and stumbled down the stairs and to the source of the commotion.

"Ouch!" She heard someone scream from the kitchen.

"Sookie?" Lorelai called out. She turned into the kitchen and saw her friend clutching her hand close to her. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

"Well I heard you were sick, so I made you some soup and I was just heating it up but I accidentally laid my hand on the burner and, well," Sookie held up her blistering palm to Lorelai.

"Oh, Sookie." Lorelai grabbed a hand towel off the counter and wrapped it around some ice and then grabbed some burn cream from her cabinet and handing it all to Sookie.

"Thanks." Sookie said, clutching the cool towel in her hand. "What's wrong with you?"

"I just ate something bad, don't worry about it." Lorelai waved it off, not wanting to hear anymore lectures on her poor choice of diet. "You didn't have to make me soup, you have work at the Inn."

"The staff can handle it. They've made that dish a thousand times. Sit down and eat." Sookie demanded as she placed a bowl of chicken and vegetable soup in front of Lorelai.

As soon as the aroma of the steamy broth hit Lorelai's nostrils she all but sprinted to the bathroom, knocking over the chair she had been sitting in along the way, and once again threw up.

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. I was hoping it would help. You need to eat something. Maybe some crackers will help settle your stomach." Sookie purred as she rubbed her sick friends back.

"I think a glass of ginger ale will do. It's in my fridge." Lorelai told her.

She got up and walked back into the kitchen, plopping down in the chair.

"Here you go." Sookie said, handing her a nice, cold glass of ginger ale.

"Thanks." She took a sip and sat it down.

"You know, Luke's pretty worried about you." Sookie said, taking a seat in front of Lorelai.

"What? You talked to Luke? When did you talk to Luke?" Lorelai questioned.

"I ran into him this morning. He told me what happened last night and asked me if you were ok. I told him I wasn't sure because I didn't know you were sick and he made me promise that I would check up on you." Sookie said, peering at Lorelai with eyes full of hope. "He really does care about you, ya know."

"Sookie, stop. It's over between me and Luke, ok? There's too much damage done." She said, taking another sip of her ginger ale.

"It's just a shame. You two were so perfect together." Sookie sighed, shaking her head as she got up. "Well honey, I need to get back to the Inn so I can start preparing dinner. There's plenty of soup in the fridge. I'm going to call you later to make sure you're ok. Please try and eat something." She pleaded and hugged Lorelai.

"I'll try. Make sure Michel doesn't burn the place down." Lorelai called after her friend. She sighed and got up, walking back up to her room and crashing on her bed.


	11. Bad Day

"Sookie, where's the coffee?" Lorelai belted as she shoved her way into the kitchen.

"Oh I'm sorry honey; I just served the last of it." Sookie apologized as she cut up some carrots.

"What? You've got to be kidding me. We don't have anymore?" Lorelai begged, leaning against the counter.

"The order got backed up. I sent Jackson on a run to get some more but he has a few more deliveries before he can come back."

"Ugh!" Lorelai growled in frustration, hanging her head.

A few days had passed since Lorelai had gotten over her food poisoning. After pretty much living on her bathroom floor for almost twenty-four hours, she had returned to her somewhat usual self. She looked at Sookie as she grabbed a carrot and started munching on it.

"What are you doing?" Sookie asked.

"I'm snacking. What's the problem?" Lorelai asked her friend as she took another bite.

"You're eating a carrot. You know that's a carrot, right?" Sookie asked, waving her knife at Lorelai who instinctively took a few steps backwards.

"Whoa, careful where you wave that thing, Sook. I know it's a carrot. I'm hungry and it's the first thing I saw. What's the big deal?"

"Nothing, you're just not much of a vegetable person, that's all. You're grumpy. Have you not had any coffee at all today?" Sookie asked as she resumed cutting up her vegetables.

"No. I woke up late and then when I went to take a shower the water was freezing cold because the water heater went out so I called Kirk to come fix it, because he's the new handyman around town, and by the time he had finished yapping about how he always had to take cold showers growing up because he had so many brothers and sisters it was too late to make a coffee run." Lorelai ranted.

"Yikes. It sounds like you're having a bad day." Sookie said, giving Lorelai a look of sympathy.

"Try a bad week. No, I take that back, a bad month. I seem to be on a roll these days. There couldn't possibly be anything more the world could hurtle my way." Lorelai huffed.

As if on cue, Michel suddenly entered the kitchen. "Lorelai, we have a guest complaining that our sheets are too itchy and that he has developed a rash from them."

Lorelai growled as her eyes shot daggers at Michel, who simply looked amused and walked away.

…

It had been a rough day for Lorelai. Without any caffeine in her system she didn't have the strength or the patience for the chaos that had been going on all day. What with the water heater going out, being late to work, the Inn being out of coffee, guests complaining, and now the air conditioning suddenly not working, the days' drama and sweltering July heat were giving her a rather nasty headache.

It had taken two hours for a repairman to show up to fix the air conditioning, which had cost a bit of money, which meant Lorelai would have to redo this months budget. It was just another little joy to add onto her list of things to do. Jackson had finally returned with some coffee by early afternoon and Lorelai was now locked up in her office, sipping the steaming cup graciously as she enjoyed a few moments of peace before she had to get back to work.

The day had continued to drag on. She spent a whole frustrating hour and a half adjusting the budget, and then the next two hours preparing the Inn for a brunch that was set the next day for a group of women who belonged to a charity organization that was trying to raise money for the education system for underprivileged children in Haiti. The group had booked the entire dining area and Lorelai wanted to make sure everything was in order before they arrived the next morning.

She was just leaving the Inn when her cell phone started ringing. She fumbled through her bag before she found her phone and answered it.

"Hey Babette, what's up?" She asked as she got into her jeep and shut the door.

"Oh hi suga! I was just callin' because Paul Anka was doing this weird howlin' thing so I went to check on him and I think he mighta gotten into something he shouldn't have. There was garbage all over the floor. He's been yowlin' somethin' fierce. I think you should take the poor thing to the vet." Babette urged.

"Oh no! Can you keep an eye on him for me until I get there? I'm just now leaving." Lorelai said and hung up before Babette could respond.

She honestly could not understand how this already horrible day had somehow become more horrible. Now panicking at the thought of there being something wrong with her dog, Lorelai hastily started the car and peeled out of the Inn's parking lot.

...

Once home, Lorelai rushed inside and found Babette kneeled next to Paul Anka, scratching his ears and cooing at him. Paul Anka looked sadly up towards Lorelai and whined.

"Hey doll, I called Dr. Greenstein for ya. Told him you'd be in soon so he is already expecting ya. Would you like me to go with ya?" Babette asked as she got up from the floor. "Poor guy, he's been miserable. Yowlin' and mopin'. It breaks my heart."

"Thank you, Babette, but I've got it from here. I really appreciate you taking care of him for me until I could get here." Lorelai said as she picked up Paul Anka, who wouldn't budge, and carried him out to the car.

"Well let me know when he's ok! If ya need anything baby doll, just ask." The older woman yelled as she headed back towards her house.

…

Three hours and two-hundred dollars later, Lorelai returned home with a much disheveled Paul Anka, whom had been rather traumatized from his vet visit. It turns out he had eaten some raw cookie dough out of the trash and the vet had to empty his stomach out before any damage could be done.

Lorelai had sat in the vet's office trying to think of why Paul Anka would get into the garbage. He rarely ever acted out, so there must be a reason behind it. That's when it hit her; she had forgotten to feed him that morning. Once she realized it, she felt guiltier than ever. She knew she had been in a hurry this morning but never had a hectic day prevented her from taking care of Paul Anka before. She felt like she was losing her mind. Everything about the day seemed very off.

"Come on, boy." Lorelai called, tugging lightly on Paul Anka's leash. Once inside the house, she kicked off her shoes and walked into the living room to sit on the couch. She patted the spot beside her and Paul Anka hopped up and laid his head in her lap. "It's been a rough day for the both of us, huh?"

Lorelai scratched Paul Anka behind his ears as he continued to look at her with the same sad eyes he had given her while they were at the vet. She had been told he wouldn't be feeling completely better until the next day and to make sure he was as comfortable as possible given the fact that he had been very stressed out by being at the veterinarians' office.

It had indeed been a long day and as Lorelai flicked through the TV channels, she felt very relieved that it was over.


	12. Six Weeks

Lorelai had awoken from the strangest dream that morning. Words couldn't even begin to describe what it had been. It was very vivid and colorful. It was similar to the hallucination she'd had after taking a sleeping pill a few years back before it had been recalled. Lorelai had had weird dreams before but for some reason this dream only confused her and left her with a lingering strange feeling most of the day.

Today was Saturday and Lorelai could not be any happier about it. It was her day off and she and Sookie were going to Hartford for a little shopping spree. It had been Sookie's suggestion. She'd convinced Lorelai that a nice girls day out would cheer her up a little bit after the past few weeks of hell she'd been experiencing.

Lorelai was excited to update her wardrobe, which held too many outfits with too many memories. She was going to make herself over today, starting with her and Sookie getting their hair done. One of her favorite things about going to the salon was the shampoo and conditioning part. It was like a heavenly massage for her scalp. As the stylist worked the lather throughout her hair, Lorelai felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. The short massage had made her drowsy and right as she was about to fall asleep, the stylist stopped what she was doing and handed Lorelai a towel for her to dry her hair.

She decided to add a little color to her hair, opting to go back to her dark roots after having gone lighter for the last few months. After the snipping, and the dying, and the styling, the girls were on their way to a strip of stores only a few blocks away. To make the day even better, Lorelai had found a coffee place along the way that tasted absolutely delicious. It would never replace the number one on her list, but it satisfied her more than any other coffee she'd had in a while.

"Have you talked to Rory recently?" Sookie asked as they browsed the racks of a cute little boutique.

"Yeah, I talked to her last night actually. Poor kid, she's not taking Logan leaving very well." Lorelai replied, holding up a blouse and then putting it back on the rack while wrinkling her nose at it.

"Aw, poor thing. How long is he gone for?"

"A whole year. It's really bumming her out right now but she's happy he gets the experience. She's a bit jealous of him too; she is already talking about flying out there." Lorelai said as she thought back to her conversation with her daughter the night before.

"Why doesn't she come home and visit for a little bit?" Sookie asked.

"She is." Lorelai said, her face lighting up with a smile. "She's coming home tonight actually. It will be so good to have her home. Ever since she went off to Yale the house has been so quiet and lonely."

It was true. Lorelai hated being at the house by herself. Over time she had adjusted to Rory being gone, but the silence throughout the house still irked her. So far the day had already rid of much of the tension she'd been feeling for weeks. That coupled with the excitement of Rory returning home gave Lorelai a warm feeling inside.

"It sounds like somebody is experiencing empty nest syndrome." Sookie said, eyeing Lorelai.

"Well from the looks of it, I'll be experiencing it for the rest of my life." Lorelai remarked sardonically, causing Sookie to give her a sympathetic look.

…

Five stores and several shopping bags later, Lorelai and Sookie were making their way back to the car.

"Thank you so much for getting me out today, Sookie. You don't know how badly I needed this. I cannot believe how much stuff we got on sale today!" Lorelai gawked.

"One of the many great things about summer, there always seems to be a million sales going on." Sookie smiled.

Lorelai unlocked her car and placed the bags inside as Sookie did the same with her stuff in her car. Normally they would have ridden together, but Davey had a soccer match that afternoon nearby so the girls decided to drive separately.

"I'm starving. Do you have time to grab a bite to eat before Davey's game?" Lorelai asked Sookie, who looked at her watch and nodded her head.

"It doesn't start for an hour and a half. What are you in the mood for?" Sookie asked her friend as they headed back down the street where a few cafes were.

"You know what sounds really good right now? A chicken Caesar salad." Lorelai said, her mouth watering at the thought.

"Seriously?" Sookie laughed.

"Yes. Why are you laughing?" Lorelai asked, furrowing her eyebrows at Sookie.

"You never crave salads." Sookie pointed out the oddness. "You've been acting really weird lately."

"What do you mean 'weird'?" Lorelai questioned, starting to feel a bit agitated at being picked on.

"You've been so moody this week and your eating habits have changed. You're losing weight." Sookie shrugged. "Is there something going on?"

"I have not been moody!" Lorelai defended.

"Please! You yelled at a little girl the other day for playing too loudly in the lobby and made her cry." Sookie pointed out.

"It's just been a rough couple of weeks, Sook." She stated.

"Are you sure you're ok? I mean, you break up with Luke and you won't talk to anybody about it and now you're acting all strange." Sookie looked up at her friend as they continued to walk.

"I'm fine, Sookie." Lorelai exasperatedly tried to convince her friend. "It's just been a weird few weeks. With the food poisoning and all the drama going on, I've just been a little off lately. My eating habits are fine and I might've lost a little bit of weight from being so sick. I've just been so tired lately and it's making me cranky. I think I'm about to start my…" Lorelai started and then suddenly stopped all together. She stopped speaking and she stopped moving. She simply stood there, her whole world coming to a halt.

"Lorelai? Are you ok?" Sookie asked, waving her hand in front of her friends face.

"I have to go." Lorelai stuttered, turning around and walking back to her car.

"Lorelai!" Sookie called out after her.

Lorelai didn't stop. She heard nothing and saw no one. She reached her car and got inside. Moving like a robot, she started the car and drove off.

A million thoughts raced through her mind as she pulled up to a pharmacy. She got out of her car and walked towards the entrance. Everything in the world seemed to slow down around her and as she headed inside, she couldn't help but think, _"This can't be happening to me." _

She found the aisle she was looking for and stood staring. So many different products advertising different percentages, all of them sporting pictures of either a large belly or a baby. She didn't know which one to get. It had been so long and the tests had surely changed since that last time she took one. Staring at them all only furthered her confusion so she reached out and grabbed two different boxes, both of which had three tests inside.

She handed her items to the cashier. She thought she might have heard the young lady at the register ask how her day was going but wasn't entirely sure. She was completely unaware of what was going on around her. She paid for her purchases and took her bag from the girl, who was now giving her a strange look, and walked out of the pharmacy and to her car as if she were floating in a dream.

Six weeks. It had been six weeks and in those six weeks Lorelai had not received her period. How had this not occurred to her sooner? It had been chaotic the past month and a half but Lorelai was always on time. There had only been two other instances in her life where she had been late: when she was pregnant with Rory and when she had her scare with Luke the year before. She was always on time, so how had she missed this?

Somehow Lorelai had driven all the way back home without even realizing it. She shoved the items in her purse just in case Babette were to stop her and walked towards the house. Once inside, she moved like a ghost. She headed upstairs and into the bathroom. She sat on the toilet and pulled out the two boxes with shaky hands.

One box held three digital tests and the other held three traditional tests. Lorelai wasn't sure if there was a big difference. Did one produce more accurate results? What if the digital one malfunctioned? She had no idea how these things worked anymore. The only way to find out was to open the boxes and read the instructions.

She read both sets of instructions three different times. She decided to try the traditional tests first, as those were the ones she had been accustomed to in the past. The box suggested two different options: either urinate on the test directly or in a small cup and place the test inside the cup for a certain amount of time. Lorelai decided to go with the last option, that way she would be able to use multiple tests without having to wait for her bladder to fill up again.

She grabbed a small plastic cup out of her medicine cabinet and pulled down her jeans as she sat back down. She awkwardly held the cup between her legs and when she was done she sat it on the bathroom counter, pulled up her jeans, and placed the first test inside. She followed the instructions carefully, holding her breath the entire time and playing with her necklace with one hand and drumming her fingers on the countertop with the other. When the time was up she pulled the test out of the cup, closed her eyes, and after a few seconds, her heart pounding loudly in her chest, she opened them back up and stared at the results.

Two pink lines.

Positive.

She dropped the test to the floor, bent over the toilet, and spilled her entire breakfast from earlier that morning into the ceramic bowl. She threw up for what seemed like an eternity before she finished and flushed the toilet.

This couldn't be true.

She tried the second test.

Positive.

She grabbed a digital test from the second box. Maybe the traditional test didn't work as well.

Positive.

She used up the last three tests.

All positive.

She laid them all down in front of her. All six tests stared back at her, brandishing the exact same results. Three of the tests showed two bright pink lines. The other three tests each read the word "Pregnant" in the result window.

It all made since now. The food poisoning had not been food poisoning, it had been morning sickness. Her sudden new eating habits, they were food cravings. Her moodiness, it was the raised level of hormones running through her. The reason she was losing weight was not because she lacked an appetite due to stress as she had thought, but because of food aversions combined with the morning sickness. The exhaustion, the weird dream she had the night before, the missed period, all were symptoms of pregnancy.

_How did I not see this? All of the signs were right in front of me. How did I not notice them? _

Lorelai leaned against the wall and slid down onto the tile floor. Only one question ran through her mind now.

_Whose baby is it? _


	13. Hott Mess

**A/N: **So this is a short and sweet chapter, but I wanted to give you something. I wish I could have made it longer, but my finals are this week. Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story.

Rory pulled up behind her mother's car and put her car into park. Her mother wasn't expecting her for another few hours, but Rory decided to surprise her by coming home early. She walked across the lawn and up to the door. After unlocking it she entered the house and saw that the downstairs was empty. She softly closed the door and snuck up the stairs to her mother's room. She peeked inside and saw the bedroom was also empty but that the bathroom light was on. She tiptoed across the room and leaped into the bathroom.

"Surprise!" She yelled, a big grin stretching across her face.

Her mother jumped and closed her eyes, placing a hand over her heart. Rory looked down to where her mother was sitting on the floor and noticed her tearstained face.

"Mom? What's wrong?" She asked, kneeling down beside her mother and placing a hand on her knee.

Lorelai sat there quietly for a few seconds, swallowing hard and wiping her face. She wouldn't look at Rory.

"I screwed up, Rory." She said with a sob.

"Screwed up? What are you talking about?" Rory asked.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, it just… I was hurt and angry and I wasn't thinking straight and it… it just happened. I'm stupid; I'm an idiot for doing it but he pushed me beyond my limits and I didn't care anymore; I didn't care if I hurt him. I was upset and I wanted to feel better and I know I could've called you or Sookie or just eaten a tub of ice cream instead, but like I said, I wasn't thinking. And now… now everything is such a mess and I don't know what I'm going to do, Rory. I don't know how to fix this or how I'm going to be able to do this. I can't do it again; it was hard enough the first time."

Rory listened to her mother ramble on about what sounded like German to her. She hadn't a clue what her mother was talking about, only that it had to involve Luke.

"Mom, you have to give me more here, I'm not understanding." Rory said, squeezing her mother's knee in reassurance.

That's when Lorelai handed her something. She hadn't even noticed her mother was holding anything. Rory took it out of her mother's hands and looked at it.

"Mom… you're pregnant? Are you sure?" Rory asked, her eyes growing wide.

Lorelai then pointed to the counter and Rory got up and found five more pregnancy tests, all of them positive. She was shocked. There was no mistaking that her mother was in fact pregnant. She sat next to her mother and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Mom, it's going to be ok. This isn't as bad as it seems. You're not alone in this. I'm going to be there for you the whole time and I know that Luke will be there too. Just because you guys are broken up doesn't mean he's going to leave you to raise this baby alone. He's not dad, mom. Luke's-"

And then Rory stopped talking. Suddenly everything her mother had said was beginning to make sense. She let go of her mother's hand and stared at her. She was crying harder now and Rory couldn't believe it, and so she asked.

"This is Luke's baby, right Mom?"

Her mother's cries turned into wet sobs that shook her whole body.

"I don't know." Lorelai sobbed.

Rory shook her head and leaned it against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. She let the shock course through her and thought of what she should say. She couldn't believe the situation and how complicated it had gotten since she found out. She looked back at her mother who had her face buried in her hands. Rory shifted herself to where she was now sitting in front of Lorelai. She pried her mother's hands off of her face and held them.

"Look at me, Mom." Rory said and waited for Lorelai to obey. "I love you. I know this is bad and I know you're scared, but we're going to get through this. I'll be here for whatever you need and we'll figure this out together. Let's not think about solving any issues right now and just take this one day at a time. We'll make a doctors appointment in the morning and take it from there, ok?"

Lorelai pulled Rory to her and hugged her tightly. Her crying calmed down and she took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"You're the best daughter a mother could ask for, you know?" She said, giving Rory a small smile. "Thank you. I love you, kid."

"I love you too, Mom." Rory said, giving her a hug.

She sat back down beside her mother and they both fell into silence, lost in thought. After a few minutes, Rory spoke up.

"Mom, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Lorelai replied dully.

"If you and Luke had been on the rocks lately, how'd… I mean why-" Rory stammered.

Lorelai sighed and looked down at her hands.

"I was watching a movie and drinking a glass of wine one night and Luke had come home early so he made us dinner and we ended up killing two bottles. Well, you can guess the rest."

The two girls sat in silence, both of their minds swirling with thoughts of the situation and what would come of it. As tough as Rory was trying to be for her mother at the moment, she too was scared. She knew her mother would have to endure a lot over the next few months, what with telling Richard and Emily, facing the town, and confronting Luke and Chris. It wasn't going to be easy and as much as she wanted to be there through it all, she knew school would interfere.

"Wow, a baby." Rory said.

"I know." Lorelai said back.

"You're going to get fat." Rory remarked.

"Yeah." Lorelai said softly. "Maybe."


End file.
